Spring-bottom.



PAIENTED JULY 14, 1903'.

W. D. HU

- SPRING BOT IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII AB. 8, 1901.

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lglilllulfill No. 733,649. PATl-llITED JULY 14, 1903. W. D. HUNT.

SPRING BOTTOM. APPLICATION FILED MAB. a, 1901.

NITED STATES Patented July 14, 1903.

'ATENT OFFI E.

SPRING-BOTTOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 7 33,649, dated. July 14, 1 903.

Application filed March 8, 1901.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that L'WARDER D. HUNT, a citizen of the United States of America,and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Bottoms for Beds, Upholstery, and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in spring-bottoms, such as are adapted for use in beds, chairs, and the like; and the object of the invention is to provide a spring. structure of this general character which shall be of a simple and inexpensive nature and of a strong and durable construction and provided with means for preventing the bending or throwing of the upper part of the spring structure out of line with the lower part, especially when pressure is exerted thereon.

The invention consists in certain novelfeatures of the construction, combination, and arrangement of the several parts of the improved spring-bottom, whereby certain important advantages are attained, and the device is verysimply and cheaply made and is otherwise better adapted and more convenient for use than others, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth. The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which serve to illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a view showing a fragment of a spring bedbottom constructed according to my invention, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the line a a in Fig. 1 and showing the means for holding the wire springs in place. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken at right angles to the plane of the section in Fig. 2 or as indicated by the line b h in Fig. 1 and showing other features of construction to be hereinafter referred to. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken vertically through the upper and lower intersecting wires or frames in a plane between two parallel rows of springs, three of the said springs held by said intersecting wires or frames being shown in elevation. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a fragment of the improved bed-bottom and illus- Serial No. 50,289. (No model.)

trating the construction of the same and the arrangement of the springs.

As shown in the views,the improved springbottom is formed of coiled-wire springs, herein shown as made in the well-known hourglass form and held between upper and lower frames, with which the upper and lower end coils of said springs are engaged, as will be hereinafter explained, in order to hold the springs in relation to said upper and lower frames. The upper and lower frames of the spring bottom or structure are similar in form and construction, and each is usually made, as herein shown, in rectangular form, being provided around its outer edge with a stiff wire or metal rod 1, forming a reinforce around the frame.

2 2 indicate a set or series of wires extended parallel to each other and longitudinally of each frame, and 3 3 indicate another set or series of wires transverse with respect to the wires 2 2 and also extended across each frame at right angles to the wires 22 thereof. The wires 2 and 3 do not intermesh after the manner of a woven fabric; but the wires 2 rest upon the wires 3 at each intersection in the upper frame of the structure, while the wires 3 rest upon the wires 2 at each intersection in the lower frame, the arrangement of the wires being similar, but inverted at the lower frame of the structure. Each two wires of each of the series 2 and 3 in each frame form a pair which follows or is extended along a row or series of springs, which are by means of said wires held in position in the structure.

Each spring has at its upper end an end,

coil 5 made in substantially circular form, and the wires 2 of the upper frame have at corresponding points downwardly-extended bends 4, so arranged as to take under the end coil 5 of each spring and forming seatsupon the upper faces of the wires 2, in which seats the end coils 5 rest and are held against lateral or sidewise movement. Each wire 2 has two such bends or seats for each spring under which it passes, and the wires of each pair are so spaced apart from each other that the end coil of each spring is supported in said seats or bonds at four substantially equidistant points. Adjacent to but outside the bonds or seats 4 the wires 2 are again bent down ward, as seen at 10, the portions intermediate the downward bends forming on the under sides of wires 2 other seats 8, which rest in bends 9, produced at suitable points in the wires 3. Each spring has its end coil 5 formed with a movable locking end 11, which is passed beneath one of the wires 3 and over one of the wires 2, its extremity being bent down, as shown at 12, so as to hold the springs locked in position.

The lower end of each spring has an end coil 5 also made in substantially circular form, and the wires 2 of the lower frame have at corresponding points upwardly-extended bends 4 so arranged as to take above the said lower end coil of each spring and in which the end coil is held against lateral or sidewise movement. Each wire 2 in the lower frame has two such bends for each spring over which it passes, and the said wires 2 are also so arranged that the lower end coils of the springs are rested upon them at four substantially equidistant points. The wires 2 of the lower frame are also bent upward outside of but adjacent to the bends a, as shown at 10 the portions between said bends 4 and 10 forming on the upper sides of said wires 2 other seats 8, which rest on bends 9, produced at suitable points in the wires 3 of the lower frame. The lower end coil 5 of each spring is also formed with a locking end 11, passed below one of the wires 3 and above one of the wires 2 of the lower frame, its extremity being bent upward, as shown at 12, to hold the springs locked in position. Thus it will be seen that the wires 2 and 3 in each frame of the structure are not only held against lateral movement by the interlocking bends 8 and 9, S and 9, but are also looked together by the end coils 5 5 of the springs, which pass, respectively, beneath and over the wires 3 and over and beneath thewires 2 in the upper and lower frames of the structure, and in order to prevent the wires 3 from slipping out of engagement with the said end coils and off the same I provide said wires 3 with downward bends 13 at points central with respect to each end coil 5, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. These bends 13 will contact with the end coils in case of excessive lateral movement of the wires 3 and will act as stops to limit such movement.

The upper and lower frames, each formed of crossed or intersecting wires 2 and 3, constitute substantially sheets of wide-meshed wire netting or fabric extended over the top and under the bottom of the improved spring structure, with which sheets the upper and lower end coils of the springs are engaged or interlocked, as above described.

Heretofore, so far as I am aware, the spiral springs employed in spring-bottoms have always been coiled in the same direction, and I find that as a consequence, especially when the structures are subjected to pressure such as results during use or when the bottoms are flattened out for purposes of storage or ship ment, such pressure tends to flex or bend all the coils in the same direction and throws the upper part of the structure out of line with the lower part and causes it to sag more or less at certain points. The bottom twists or torses in its normal condition if the springs are properly connected with the crossed tiewires, even when no pressure is exerted at all thereon; but the twist becomes aggravated by pressure and throws the springs out of perpendicular and the meshes of the upper and lower frames out of line, detrimental to the proper working of the spring-bottom and causing the springs to cant under the torsional strain and greatly shortens their period of usefulness. In order to obviate this defect, I employ means for compensating for flexure or bending of the springs in such a way as to overcome the tendency of theupper part or frame of the structure to be moved laterally, whereby its edges will be thrown out of alinement with those of the lower frame, and this compensatory means consists in employing both right-hand and left-hand spirals in the structure, these being arranged to alternate with each other, so that the flexure of a right-hand spiral compensates for the opposite flexure of an adjacent left-hand spiral. This arrangement of right-hand and left-hand springs is clearly shown in Fig. 1, where 6 6 indicate the right-hand spirals arranged in series extended one way across the structure, while 7 7 indicate the left-hand spirals arranged in series parallel and alternating with the first-mentioned series, so that the tendency of each spring when flexed to throw the structure out of true is overcome.

The improved spring-bottom constructed as above described is not only of a very simple and inexpensive nature, butis also much more durable than similar devices constructed in the ordinary way with spiral springs all wound in the same direction, since such devices quickly lose their form and become unfitted for use by reason of the throwing of the upper part of the device out of line with the lower part. It will also be obvious from the above description that the improved spring-bottom is capable of some modification without material departure from the principles and spirit of the invention, and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise form and arrangement of the several parts as herein set forth, nor do I wish to be understood as limiting myself to the use of my improvements in spring bed-bottoms alone, since it is evident that the invention may readily be embodied in spring structures designed for other purposes, such as for couch, chair, and vehicle seat cushions and the like.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. Aspring-bottom for beds,couches, chairs and the like having upper and lower parts and two sets of spiral springs interposed between said parts and having upper and lower end coils each connected at a plurality of points to said upper and lower parts, one set of springs being oppositely coiled with relation to the other set and being arranged to compensate for flexure of said other set of springs to hold the upper part of the structure in line with the lowerpart, substantially as set forth.

2. A spring-bottom for beds, couches,chairs and the like having upper and lower parts and right-hand and left-hand spiral springs interposed between said parts and having upper and lower end coils each connected at a plurality of points to one of said upper and lower parts, the right-hand spirals being arranged to alternate with the left-hand spirals and being adapted to compensate for fiexure thereof to hold the upper part of the structure in line with the lower part, substantially as set forth.

3. Aspring-bottom for beds, couches,chairs and the like comprising parallel rows of vertical helical springs, an open-mesh frame or fabric composed of crossed wires equidistant apart corresponding to and supporting said rows of springs and each spring being concentric to four intersecting points in the crossed-wire fabric with its end coil interlocked with the crossed wires at the four intersecting points, each wire of one set of the crossed Wires being formed between its points 

